Process of converting starch into glucose or allied products.



C. L. SOVEREIGN (Q A. W. H. LENDERS. PROCESS OF CONVERTING STARCH INTOGLUCOSE 0R ALLIED PRODUCT I APPLICATION FILED JAN-23,1909. 11. mm

Patented May16, 1916.

UNITED sTaTns PATENT oiTroT.

CLARENCE I4. SOVEREIGN AND ADOLPI-I W. H. LENDER/S, OF WAUKEGAN,ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO CORN PRODUCTS REFINING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF CONVERTING STARCI-I'INTO GLUCOSE OR ALLIED PRODUCTS.

ineaaos.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 316, I916.

Application filed January 23, 1909. Serial No. 473,860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLARENCE L. Sov- EREIGN and AooLPH W. H. LENDERs,citizens of the United States, residing at Waukegan, in the county ofLake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Converting Eitarch into Glucose or AlliedProducts, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the conversion of starch into glucose, syrup,sugar or similar conversion products, and has for its object to providea process of conversion which will give a better and more uniform gradeof the product than is obtained by methods of conversion now in use, andwhich, at the sametime, will lessen the cost of production.

According to the ordinary process of converting starch into glucose orthe like, the starch is run in batches into a converting vessel, eachbatch being subjected to heat under pressure until a test shows that theproper degree of conversion has been reached. The contents of theconverter is then blown up into the neutralizer and the converterrefilled with a new batch of starch.

This process of conversion in batches is attended with severaldisadvantages. It is very diflicult, even with constant care andattention, to maintain uniform conditions in converting the difierentbatches so as to obtain uniformity of purity. Experience has shown thatwhere, for instance, a conversion giving 40% of dextrose is required,this percentage often varies t0 the extent of 5% either way.Furthermore, this method of conversion interrupts the continuity of themanufacture as a whole and is'particularly undesirable since therefining step, which follows the conversion, may be carried on by acontinuous circulation of the crude glucose through the refiningapparatus. A

non-continuous process also involves the use of large storage tankswhich, in a large factory, occupy very considerable-space. In additionto all this, the process of conversion used to-day involves a veryconsiderable waste of heat. During the time the starch liquor is beingrun into the converter, the steam vent of the converter is open and alarge amount of steam escapes and is wasted. A further a d moreconsiderable loss of steam occurs when the liquor, having been subjectedto heat for some time under pressure, is blown up to the neutralizer.The object of our present invention is to provide a process ofconversion which will do away with all of these disadvantages. In thefirst place, our process is a continuous, instead of an interrupted,process. In the second place, we utilize the steam escaping from theconverter to give initial heating to the starch liquor before it goes tothe converter.

In carryingout our process the starch, af-. ter being first heated to acertain extent by vthe steam saved from the converted liquor the time ithas left the converters and without any interruption in the continuityof flow to or from or in the converters. From the converters the starchgoes to an expansion chamber, and the vapor from this expansion chamberis utilized to give the initial heating to the inflowing stream ofliquor. The converted liquor passes from the expansion chamber to theneutralizer, where the acid used to produce the conversion isneutralized in the ordinary manner.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown apparatus suitable forcarrying out our process of continuous conversion, although it will beunderstood that this is for purposes of illustration merely, as theprocess might be practised by the use of diflerent forms of apparatus.

In these drawings-Figure 1 is a longitudinal, sectional elevation; andFig. 2 a sectional plan taken on line 22 of Fig. l.

The starch is continually supplied to a tank A through pipe 5, beingfirst mixed with a suitable acid water. An agitator 7 may be employed tothoroughly mix the liquor in tank A and to break up any lumps of starch.A steam ring 8 heats the liquor in the tank. From tank A the liquor issteam to which is controlled by valve 13.

.Preferably the vessel B has the' steam dome 14. The liquor from thebottom of vessel B passes up through a pipe 15 and into a cross-pipe16,. which leads into the top of a second converting vessel C, which ispreferably provided with the vertical partition 17 extending to within ashort distance of the top and bottom of the vessel. A pipe 18, open atthe end, extends from pipe 16 up into the steam dome 14 of vessel B. Oneof the vessels, vessel G as shown, may be provided with the steam gage19 and water gage 20. Vessel C discharges into a blow-up pot D, havingthe test cook 21. A pipe 22, controlled by valve 23, leads from thebottom of the blow-up pot into expansion chamber E, the latter beingprovided with the baflie plate 24.

The liquor, it will be understood, is heated under considerable pressurein the converting vessels, in practice about forty pounds, although thispressure may be varied. The apparatus will beso designed that thepressure in the expansion chamber will be very small, for example, onepound. The liquor going from the high pressure to the low a pressuregives up a great deal of vapor, which 'is separated in the expansioncham chloric acid, is heated and her, the vapor going to the steam ring8 in "vessel A through pipe 25, the converted liquor passing from thebottom of the expansion chamber to the neutralizer F through pipe 26. Asteam pipe 27 leads from the steam dome of vessel B to pipe 25 and isprovided with a valve 28. A pipe 29, having a valve 80, connects vesselC with pipe 27.

When the apparatus above described is started up, the priming water canfirst be heated in tank A and then pumped into vessel B. After this thestarch mixed with the acid water, for example, a dilute hydroagitated intank A and then pumped into vessel B until the desired level is reached,represented by line XX. During this time the valves 28 and 30 are leftopen, giving a vent from the converting vessels. Steam is injected intothe liquor in vessel B during the filling of the converters and escapesthrough pipes 27 and 29 into tank A, where it is utilized to heat theinflowing stream of liquor.

When the liquor reached the normal operating level X-X,

the process, by proper adjustment of the valves determined by testing atthe test cock 21, will be car'ried on continuously. The

cation throughout the apparatus, and so as .Valves 28 and 30 in theconverters has.

to give a rate of How which will insure 'a proper degree of conversionin the liquor discharged into the expansion chamber. The steam suppliedcan also be regulated to give a proper temperature and pressure. may beclosed or partly closed. The discharge valve 23 can be set to regulatethe outflow from the converters.

When a proper regulation of the flow of liquor, steam pressure andtemperature has been brought about, the product must necessarily beuniform, since the conditions governing the conversion are uniform.

As a subsidiary, but important, feature of-the process, the liquor,during the first part of itsfiow, is subjected to agitation. During thelatter part of its course,- the flow is quietand unimpeded. Theconstruction of the first converter should be such as to thoroughlyagitate and mix the inflowing. liquor. This we accomplish by introducingthe liquor into the top of the converter in a body of hot steam and thencausing a thorough boiling of the liquor in the vessel. In the secondvesselthere is nothing to disturb the flow, the object being to preventthe. mixing of parts of the stream in difcharge of the product ofconversion can never be interrupted. By describing the process ascontinuous, we mean that the glucose or other syrup is discharged, notin batches as has ordinarily been the case heretofore, but while theconversion of the unconverted starch in the converters is in progress;and that the fresh starch is similarly introduced, to make up for thedischarged product without interrupting the conversion taking place inthe converters. We claim: 4

- 1. The process of converting starch into a saccharine product whichconsists in continuously introducing the starch mixed with an acid waterinto and causing the same to be passed through and discharged fromclosed containing means consisting of a plurality of connected vessels,maintaining the liquid in said vessels atsuch a level that the spaces inthe same above the liquid therein are in communication with each other,and introducing steam into said containing means so as to heat theliquid therein and so as tomaintain a pressure of steam above saidliquid sufiicient to efiect the conmes es tinuous discharge of theproduct of con-.

version from the last of said vessels.

The process of convertingstarch into a saccharine product which consistsin continuously introducing the starch mixed with an acid water into andcausing the same to be passed through and discharged from closedcontaining means consisting of a plurality of connected convertingvessels, maintaining the liquid in said vessels at such a level that thespaces in the same above the liquid therein. are in communication witheach other, introducing the steam into the body of liquid in the firstof said vessels so as to agitate the same and so as to maintain apressure of steam in the vessels above the level of the liquidsuflicient to effect the continuous discharge of the product ofconversion from the last of said vessels.

3. The process of converting starch into a saccharine product whichconsists in introducing the starch mixed with an acid water into theupper part of the first of a series of closed connected vessels,maintain-t mg the llquid in said vessels at such a levelthat the spacesin the same above the liquid therein are in communication with eachother, withdrawing the liquid from the lower part of said first vesseland introducing it into the next vessel of said series, introducingsteam into the lower part of said first vessel so as to heat the liquidin said vessels and maintaining a pressure of steam above the liquidtherein, and by means of said pressure continuously discharging theproduct of conversion from the last of said series of vessels.

4. The process of converting starch into a saccharine product whichconsists in in-- troducing the starch and an acid water into containingmea'ns consisting of a plurality of connected converting vessels,heating the same and maintaining a pressure above atmospheric pressurein said containing means, maintaining the liquid in said containingmeans at such a level that the spaces in the connected vessels above theliquids are in communication with each other, utilizing the pressure insaid containing means for causing a How of the liquid through saidcontaining means, discharging the converted product from said containingmeans without interrupting the conversion of the unconverted onpartiallyconverted starch in said containing means, and introducing fresh starchinto said containing means while such conversion and discharge of theconverted product is taking place.

CLARENCE L. SOVEREIGN. ADOLPH W. H. LENDEBS.

Witnesses: v

P. H. TRUMAN, G. Y. SKINNER.

